Though Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report has repeatedly pointed out that this was a near impossiblity (here, here, here, here, here), not one single mainstream journalist seemed to mind that they were being lied to and, even as late as last Saturday, NY Newsday kept toeing the party line.

In what amounts to a soft release this week, staged around the NJ Nets home opener, Bruce Ratner and the Nets organization are finally coming clean by acknowledging that the Brooklyn arena WON'T be ready for the 2009-2010 season, and, if the project survives legal hurdles, an arena opening in three years is more likely.

Yesterday, Newark Star-Ledger columnist Matthew Futterman hedged the date, "the Nets are now the primary tenant and the premiere team in the [Meadowlands arena] until their planned move to Brooklyn in two or three years."

Today, NY Post columnist Jay Greenberg stated it more plainly, "the franchise is at least three seasons away from Atlantic Yards."

Associated Press sports writer Tom Canavan cites none other than team owner and developer Bruce Ratner as his source:

The New Jersey Devils of the NHL moved to Newark this season, and the Nets of the NBA plan to leave for Brooklyn for the 2009-10 season. Nets owner Bruce Ratner said Wednesday that the planned arena in Brooklyn probably would not be ready for the start of that season, however.

There was no press release and no fanfare. By slowly releasing the valve, Ratner's PR team has managed to keep this key fact under the radar of the presumably skeptical press corps, who will presumably adjust their coverage accordingly.